USS Warrington (DD-30)
The USS Warrington (DD-30) served in the US Navy beginning during the second decade of the 20th century and remained in reserve until 1935. She was named for Lewis Warrington, an officer of the United States Navy during the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, and who later served as commissioner on the Navy Board and temporarily as Secretary of the Navy. Warrington was built as a Paulding-class ship.
Construction
The 742-ton Warrington was laid down in June 1909 by the William Cramp & Sons Ship & Ship Engine Building Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Warrington was launched in June 1910 and commissioned in March 1911 with Lieutenant Walter M. Hunt in command. Carrying a crew of 86, she was 293 feet, 10 inches long and was armed with five three-inch rapid-fire guns and three 18-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Warrington conducted battle drills with the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet during the fall and winter of 1911, and trained for combat maneuvers with other cruisers and battleships in the fleet from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Cuba. In December 1911 near Charleston, South Carolina, Warrington collided with an unidentified schooner in the dark and lost 30 feet of stern. Sterett, Walke, and Perkins joined the effort to tow her back to shore, but were unsuccessful and Warrington was later towed by Conondaga to the Norfolk Navy Yard., where she was put in reserve for repairs.
Warrington resumed active service in December 1912 with the Atlantic Torpedo Flotilla, and participated in gunnery drills and torpedo-firing practices. In April 1917 when the United States entered World War I, Warrington patrolled off Newport, Rhode Island against German submarines. She arrived at Queenstown, Ireland in May and patrolled the entrances to British ports on the Irish Sea and escorted convoys en route to the British Isles.
In November, Warrington was assigned to operations at Brest, France, where she reported just one encounter with a German U-boat. Navy transport President Lincoln was torpedoed by U-90, and Warrington rescued 443 survivors, while Smith took on the remaining 688. Both Warrington and Smith depth-charged U-90 and, although no there was no evidence of success at the surface, a captured naval officer later reported that the submarine was badly shaken.
Warrington continued to serve in European waters until the spring of 1919 and left Brest, France in March. She remained in the navy yard at League Island until being decommissioned in January 1920, and stayed in reserve until 1935. Warrington was struck from the Navy list in March 1935 and was sold for scrap to M. Black & Company in Norfolk, Virginia in June.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Warrington (DD-30)
Using asbestos-containing materials in the design of naval ships was mandated by law in the United States in the early 1930s, after a fire at sea aboard a cruise ship killed 137 passengers and crew. Warrington deployed asbestos insulation frequently around ship's boilers and engineering compartments, as well as to insulate pipes all through the vessel. Asbestos was known even in ancient times for its resistance to fire and heat; however, it was also demonstrated to be the only known cause of such life-threatening diseases such as asbestos cancer and mesothelioma.
Currently the survival rate of mesothelioma victims very low - but palliative approaches such as chemotherapy for mesothelioma offer hope and may increase life expectancy. If you or someone in your family has developed mesothelioma, there are legal rights that you should know about. A professional mesothelioma lawyer can explain them to you.
In addition, we have created a mesothelioma information kit that contains complete information for victims including legal options, choices for medical treatment and a list of mesothelioma clinical trials all over the U.S. Simply submit the form on this page and we will send the packet to you, at no cost to you.
Sources
NavSource Naval History, USS Warrington (DD-30).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/030.htm Retrieved 18 December 2010
Tin Can Sailors, USS Warrington (DD-30), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.destroyers.org/DANFS/h-DD-30.htm Updated 1981. Retrieved 18 December 2010
